Effects of the 1995–1997 drought on nitrate leaching in lowland England

Abstract. The effect of drought between summer 1995 and 1997 on stream and river nitrate concentrations was investigated using sites close to the long-running meteorological station in Oxford, UK. Nitrate concentrations in the River Windrush were relatively low during the drought, but after it had ended reached the highest level since records began in 1973. The low concentrations during the drought probably reflect a reduced contribution from agricultural runoff. High nitrate concentrations were found in a field drain at Wytham Environmental Change Network site during and after the drought, but discharge was greatly reduced. A woodland stream at Wytham had much lower nitrate concentrations than the field drain but these similarly increased during and after the drought. There was evidence that both a concentrating effect of low water volumes and enhanced soil nitrogen mineralization and nitrification rates were causing concentrations to rise. The effects of mineralization and nitrification were more important in woodland than agricultural land. Nitrate load over the course of a year was determined largely by discharge, but steeper gradients for the relationship between cumulative load and cumulative discharge were seen during and after the drought than before, reflecting the higher concentrations.     

三峡库区土壤元素分布特征及其发生学意义

选取三峡库区万州段具有代表性母岩和土壤作为研究样点,测定了土壤和母岩中Si、Al、Fe、K、Mg、Ca、Na等几种风化成土元素的含量,探讨了土壤元素分布特征及其发生学意义。研究表明:母岩元素平均含量顺序为:Si>Al>Fe>K>Mg>Ca>Na,其中Fe、Ca、Mg、Na、K高于中国和世界元素背景值,而Al介于中国和世界元素背景值之间,Si的平均含量则低于背景值;灰岩区上的土壤中,Ca、Mg、K元素最高,砂岩母质区的土壤风化素含量较低;而碎屑岩类中,泥岩区土壤风化元素相对较高,粉砂岩区土壤风化元素含量介于泥岩与砂岩区之间;母岩的淋失强度为Ca>Mg>Al>Si>K>Fe>Na,Na元素的迁移程度小,是由于母岩中Na元素对土壤的不断补充。因此以土壤中风化元素含量为基础计算的风化指标,难以反映亚热带温暖潮湿地区的成土风化过程,常用的土壤分子硅铝率和硅铁铝率也不能指示所有土壤的风化成土作用程度,只适用于判断风化初期或成土作用早期。     

Recovery and Biological Properties of Nitrate Non-utilizing Mutants of Rice Blast, Magnaporthe grisea

Eleven nitrate non-utilizing (nit) mutants were recovered from six isolates of Magnaporthe grisea cultured on MM media amended with 60 g/L potassium chlorate, with a frequency of 1.42 %. Some biological properties, such as growth rate, growth biomass, cultural characters, conidial production, sexual reproduction ability, and pathogenicity were compared between nit mutants and their parent isolates. Results showed that all the nit mutants were resistant to chlorate. Some important biological properties such as the growth rate on YPSA, conidial production ability on TPSA, pathogenicity, had no significant differences between nit mutants and their parent isolates. Mating type didn‘t change, but perithecia production ability of fertile isolates changed significantly as compared with that of their parent isolates. Therefore, the nit can be used as a genetic marker to study the genetics such as pathogenicity, fungicide resistance in Magnaporthe grisea.     

Evaluation of New Container Media for Aglaonema Production

Mandated processing of waste by‐products in the United States has inspired national interest in addressing the effectiveness of using composted biosolids and yard trimmings to grow containerized plants. Diamond bay Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema ‘Diamond Bay’) was transplanted in containers filled with one of eight formulated media (components added by volume). Medium 1 was a standard mix commonly used in Aglaonema production (5:2:3 peat–vermiculite–perlite); medium 2 was formulated on site to contain peat–bark–stalite–rice hulls–coir (2:2:3:1:2); media 3 and 4 contained 40% biosolid–yard waste compost instead of peat and with or without 20% stalite, respectively; and media 5, 6, 7, and 8 were commercially formulated to contain peat–bark–perlite–rice hulls–coir (4:1.5:2.5:1:1, 4:1.5:2.5:1:1, 4:2:2:1:1, and 3.0:2.5:2:1:1.5, respectively). Physical and chemical properties of the eight media were in ranges 50–65% container water‐holding capacity, 2.9–7.8% air‐filled porosity, 55–80% moisture (w/w), 0.11–0.37 g·cm³ bulk density, 0.34–0.96 g·cm³ particle density, 4.2–7.2 pH, 0.12–4.4 dS·m^?1 electrical conductivity (EC), 27.3–54.5 meg/100 g cation exchange capacity (CEC), 17.9–39.0% carbon (C), and 0.22–1.7% nitrogen (N). Medium 4 (40% compost) had 5.5 times more ammoniacal N (NH₄‐N) and 1.7 times more nitrate N (NO₃‐N) than that of the standard commercial mix. At week 8, plants grown in media 2 and 5 were 8.9% to 9.5% taller than plants grown in medium 1 (commercial standard). At week 16, there were no significant differences in plant heights or growth indices among media. At week 24, there were no significant differences in plant height, growth index, visual quality, shoot dry weight, and root dry weight among media. However, cumulative phosphorus (P) leaching from media 1, 4, and 5 was significantly more than leaching from media 2 and 8. This study suggests that compost may serve as a horticulturally suitable and cost‐effective alternative to peat‐based media for Aglaonema production.     

Sulfate and Calcium Movement in an Allophanic Soil—The Relevance of Ion‐Pair Adsorption in the Soil–Plant System

Cooperative adsorption involving anions and cations, termed ion‐pair adsorption (IPA), is reported to increase the retention of some ions in certain soils. Sulfate and calcium can exhibit such interaction, and this affects their movement through the soil. Ion‐pair adsorption is shown here in miscible displacement experiments with a variable‐charge soil. The relevance of IPA under more realistic conditions is further investigated in a pot experiment. Rapeseed (Brassica napus) was grown at two different irrigation regimes and with two sulfur fertilizer sources. Calcium sulfate (CaSO₄·2H₂O) was used to induce IPA in contrast to potassium sulfate (K₂SO₄). The results suggest that IPA reduces sulfate and calcium leaching only in the short term. Continued irrigation dissipates the differences between the two fertilizer sources. Final soil ion concentrations and the plant uptake could not be related to IPA, evidencing the short‐term relevance of IPA. The influence of IPA on the bioavailability of calcium and sulfate to plants still demands further study.     

Effects of grazing strategy on limiting nitrate leaching in grazed grass‐clover pastures on coarse sandy soil

Urinations of ruminants on grazed pastures increase the risk of nitrate leaching. The study investigated the effect of reducing the length of the grazing season on nitrate leaching from a coarse sandy, irrigated soil during 2006–2007 and 2007–2008. In both years, precipitation was above the long‐term mean. The experiment was initiated in a 4‐yr‐old grass‐clover sward in south Denmark. Three treatments were as follows grazing only (G), spring cut followed by grazing (CG) and both spring and autumn cuts with summer grazing (CGC). Nitrate leaching was calculated by extracting water isolates from 80 cm depth using ceramic suction cups. Because of considerable variation in measured nitrate concentrations, the 32 installed suction cups per treatment were insufficient to reveal differences between treatments. However, weighted nitrate leaching estimations for G, CG and CGC showed estimated mean nitrate N concentrations of 23, 19 and 13 mg/L for an estimated proportion area occupied by urine patches of 0.33, 0.26 and 0.16, respectively. Thus, N concentrations in G and CG exceeded the EU limit of 11.3 mg N/L. Under the prevailing conditions, the time of urination did not appear important. The estimated background leaching calculated from suction cups presumably not situated under urine patches resulted in mean nitrate N concentrations of 2.6 mg/L.     

Nitrate leaching losses under Miscanthus grass planted on a silty clay loam soil

Abstract. Nitrate leaching under newly planted Miscanthus grass was measured for three years. The crop received either no fertilizer-N or an annual spring application of 60 kg or 120 kg N ha^-1. During three winters soil water was collected from porous cup probes installed 90 cm deep. Nitrate leaching was calculated from the mean drain flow recorded in two drain gauges multiplied by the mean nitrate-N concentration in the soil water solutions collected. In the first year soil water nitrate concentrations were high on all treatments and N losses were 154, 187 and 228 kg ha^-1 respectively on the unfertilized treatment and those that received 60 or 120 kg N ha^-1. Leaching losses in the second and third years were, in turn, 8, 24 and 87 kg ha^-1 and 3, 11 and 30 kg ha^-1 for the unfertilized treatment and for the 60 and 120 kg N ha^-1 treatments respectively. Leaching losses were closer to those recorded under extensively managed grassland than arable land. The large losses in the first year were probably due to the previous agricultural management at the site and excessive inputs of N on the fertilized plots. In the second and third year, lower drainage volumes may also have influenced losses. The results show that Miscanthus , once established, can lead to low levels of nitrate leaching and improved groundwater quality compared with growing arable crops.     

Bracken effects on inorganic nitrogen leaching from an upland podzol

Leaching of inorganic N species to stream waters from upland areas of the UK is increasing, reflecting the increases in atmospheric deposition of nitrogen species due to increased levels of vehicular emissions. Bracken cover in UK uplands is also increasing overall ( Taylor, 1986 ), and the architectural nature of bracken has been shown to both increase deposition of atmospheric constituents to soils and change their chemical and physical nature. We have tested the nutrient status of upland podzols from the Lake District, Cumbria, UK, from under both moorland grass and bracken. The results show reduced levels of base cations and nitrate throughout the profile and decreases in the organic matter content of surface horizons as a consequence of bracken encroachment. We also report increased ammonium concentrations in lower soil horizons under bracken, possibly leading to increased leaching to stream waters. These results suggest either increased leaching of soil nutrients due to bracken encroachment or increased storage of nutrients within the bracken rhizome system. Results also suggest changes in either microbial activity or the microbial community of podzols, possibly due to the allelopathic nature of bracken. This may have caused changes in the soil nutrient dynamics, possibly accounting for some of the changes seen. We hypothesize that increased bracken cover within the British uplands has the potential to increase leaching of inorganic nitrogen to upland streams.     

水载型木材防腐剂有效成分的加速固着方法

以铬化砷酸铜(CCA)为代表的水载型防腐剂,逐渐被其他主要有效成分为铜的水载型防腐剂取代,这类防腐剂中的.针对水载型防腐剂抗流失性差的缺点,介绍4种用于加速防腐剂中有效成分在木材中固着的方法,分析了这些方法对水载型防腐剂中有效成分的固着效果,并就如何加速ACQ中有效成分的固着研究进行了分析和展望.